1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a stand for use in pouring concrete. More particularly, the present application involves a movable stand that allows a user to hold a concrete slurry hose to fill a concrete block wall without having to climb onto the wall or use a ladder.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Buildings produced by concrete block construction have walls that are made from concrete blocks. The concrete blocks generally have two open cells and are arranged on top of one another so that the cells extend in a vertical direction. The concrete blocks are staggered with respect to one another but are arranged so that the cells are aligned from the floor to the upper end of the structure. Vertically disposed rebar is located within selected columns of cells and extends through their entire height. The amount and location of rebar can be chosen to achieve a desired amount of reinforcement. In some instances a cage of rebar is formed by attaching horizontal rebar at the top of the structure to the vertical rebar which is likewise attached to rebar protruding from the foundation. Concrete is poured into the cells and around the rebar to form an extremely strong rebar reinforced concrete wall structure once hardened.
The top of the concrete wall is sometimes provided with a tie beam or a bond beam. A tie beam is formed by attaching plywood to the top of the interior and exterior surfaces of the concrete and block wall to form a void into which rebar is placed and that is subsequently filled with concrete. A bond beam is a series of U-shaped blocks that make up the top of the concrete wall. Rebar is placed in the U-shaped blocks and they are subsequently filled with concrete. The rebar reinforced concrete filled tie beam or bond beam acts to further reinforce the structure.
The pouring of concrete into the cells and the tie beam or bond beam can be a difficult and potentially dangerous task. A conventional method of performing this task involves driving a cement truck or other concrete carrying vehicle to the construction site and then transferring concrete into a concrete pump. The concrete pump has a hose with an outlet end through which the concrete slurry can be dispensed. A person sometimes referred to as a hose handler stands on the top of the concrete wall or stands on a ladder and communicates to an operator of the concrete pump for the purpose of starting and stopping the flow of concrete. The hose handler directs the flow of concrete slurry into the cells and the beams. Another individual sometimes referred to as a troweler is located behind the hose handler. The troweler smoothes the concrete and inserts hurricane tie-down straps into the setting concrete.
A problem exists in the conventional pouring of concrete slurry into concrete walls in that the hose handler and troweler are unsupported and can fall from the wall or ladder, which can be from seven to over twenty feet in height. The hose handler is in a particularly unsafe position as he or she must maintain balance and hold and control the concrete hose. One solution to increase safety in pouring concrete slurry into beams or cells in concrete walls is to erect scaffolding around the concrete wall. This approach is undesirable in that it is extremely time and labor intensive. For example, it may take an entire day to set up scaffolding around a single job site whereas a pumping crew can complete two to three average homes in the same day.
Additional solutions to improving the pouring of concrete slurry into concrete walls have been proposed. One prior device includes a holder that is supported on the top of the concrete wall and has an elongated body onto which a length of the concrete hose is strapped. This type of device is advantageous in that the hose handler need only support a shorter length of the hose. Once a column of cells is filled with concrete slurry, the holder is lifted by a user on the ground and moved along the length of the concrete wall to be positioned at another set of cells. This type of device is problematic in that the hose handler is located at the top of the concrete wall and again assumes the risk of falling therefrom. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.